Orange County is home to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, surfing and lots of beautiful landscapes. Look through the information below to learn some of the more notable cities and their attractions within Orange County.
Overview
Popularly recognized as the "OC", Orange County is a world-class visitor destination.
You'll find plenty of things to see and do: inviting beaches, unparalleled shopping and entertainment, trendy restaurants, sexy nightlife, championship golf, lively art districts, beautiful historic landmarks and the ultimate family attractions.
Warm sunshine, swaying palm trees and breathtaking ocean views create a relaxed lifestyle where shorts, sandals and sunglasses are always in season.
Cities in Orange County
Anaheim, 28 miles southeast of L.A., is very much a tourist hub and a large part of its tourist draw is the Disneyland Resort. The Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a famous name in baseball and the Grove of Anaheim is a brightly lit, glossy venue for live music.
Buena Park, a vacation hot spot, the lively city of Buena Park is home to world-famous entertainment - including Knott’s Berry Farm, Soak City Water Park, Knott’s Independence Hall, Pirates Dinner Adventure, and Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.
Orange, 32 miles southeast of L.A., has an impressively preserved Old Town District, and the Block at Orange is a shopper's paradise. Yorba Linda, set a little east of Anaheim and Orange, is a wealthy community home to Nixon's presidential library. About 40 miles south of L.A. is Costa Mesa, home to the truly immense South Coast Plaza and the excellent Pacific Amphitheater and Orange County Performing Arts Center. Irvine, Orange County's largest city, is next to Costa Mesa. This is a pleasant surburbia-style city home to the Irvine Spectrum shopping center, the Irvine Barclay Theatre, and an amusement park, Great Park. The largest university in Orange County, the University of California, Irvine, is here.
A little north of Irvine, about 36 miles from Los Angeles, is Huntington Beach, Surf City U.S.A. The 8.5 miles of Huntington's excellent surf beach are made up of Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington City Beach, and Huntington State Beach. Further south, 44 miles from L.A., is Newport Beach, which is, as one might expect, also known for its beaches. Other attractions are the retro amusement park Balboa Fun Zone, the artificial island Balboa Island, the Orange County Museum of Art, and the Back Bay wildlife preserve.
Mission Viejo is 48 miles from L.A. and is pleasantly planned and suburban, featuring The Shops at Mission Viejo as well as many, many parks. San Juan Capistrano is 55 miles south of Los Angeles, near the very southern end of the county, and is most notable for Mission San Juan Capistrano. Just farther away, 58 miles, is Dana Point and its gorgeous bay and that legendary surf break, Killer Dana.
Other Things to Know
Orange County is best traveled by car. Although criss-crossed conveniently by interstates and other freeways, you may find some roads particularly useful for entering Orange County and traveling from city to city. Whether you're coming from the north or south, Interstate 5 is a good route. From the north, Interstate 405 and State Route 57 are also good roads. Take State Route 91 if you're coming from the east.
